The principal of K.P. Manson Public School in Gravenhurst is urging students and their families to exercise caution following a potential cougar sighting.
Tim Clayton issued the warning earlier today after saying that in the morning two staff members from the school were on a walk near the Highway 11 overpass when they “observed a large cat, potentially a cougar.”
“Due to an abundance of caution we will be having indoor recesses and indoor phys Ed for the remainder of the day,” read the message.
According to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, cougars are believed to most likely live in Northern Ontario because of the remoteness of the habitat. However there have been many reports from the southern part of the province.
According to the Ministry, cougars found in Ontario may be escaped or released pets, animals dispersing from Western North America, native animals or a combination of those factors.
The population size of cougars in Ontario is unknown.
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Charlotte Engerer says
The MNR introduced cougars to the Ottawa area, specifically around Kemptville to deal with the fisher population in the early 2000s, resulting in the sudden increase of the cougar population in the region.